Photo: Randy Faris / The Image Bank / Getty Images
The tallest teenager in the world is heading to the University of Florida basketball team.
7-foot-6, 300-pound Olivier Rioux is going from the Guinness Book of World Records to the Florida Gators next season as a preferred walk-on commit.
18-year-old Rioux, aka “Oli” is listed at 7-6 but he says he has grown an inch and is now 7-7.
Rioux is so tall that his hair nearly brushes the net when he walks under it and his dribble height is at his teammate's shoulders.
Apparently, the skyscraper height runs in the family as Rioux's mother is 6-2 and his father is 6-8, while his brother, Emile, tops out at 6-9.
“I have been taught all my life to just support [my size],” Rioux said. “It’s nature, and you can’t control anything.”
Rioux committed to the University of Florida and will soon head to Gainesville to join coach Todd Golden’s roster as the program continues to rebuild.